Presidency reacts as Wike faults pardon granted ex-governors Nyame, Dariye

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu has reacted to Governor Nyesom Wike’s criticism of the presidential pardon granted to convicted corrupt ex-governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame.

Dariye and Nyame were serving jail terms in Kuje Correctional Centre near Abuja following their convictions by the courts over financial malfeasance while serving as governors in their states between 1999 and 2007.

The courts had jailed the ex-governors for allegedly stealing N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion respectively.

Wike, who spoke to PDP delegates in Minna on Saturday, described the Muhammadu Buhari’s war on corruption as selective.

The Rivers governor, who is a lawyer, noted that granting presidential pardon to the convicted ex-governors after millions of naira spent on securing their conviction amounted to ridiculing the judiciary.

Wike, who is vying for PDP’s presidential ticket for 2023, added that the international community could not be expected to respect a president who takes his nation’s judiciary for a joke.

“How will the international community look at us with these type of things we do. Look at the amount spent in the prosecutions and you wake up one morning and messed it up all because of politics,” Wike said.

Wike alleged that the pardon was granted so that the pardoned ex-governors could help the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election in their respective states.

“He obviously wants them to help him during the elections, he wants Dariye to help with Plateau while Nyame will work for Taraba.”

“If it is not for election purpose, why did he not grant pardon to the likes of James Ibori and Atuche?” the Rivers governor asked.

In a reaction, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said Governor Wike lacked moral justification to comment on the issue since he declined an invitation to a meeting where the decision was taken.

Taking to his verified Twitter handle, Shehu wrote, “I do not see the moral justification for Governor Wike’s criticism of the decision of the government to pardon Governors Dariye and Nyame at a meeting to which he was duly invited but did not attend.

“The Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo who joined the Council of State meeting virtually switched off her camera so it was difficult to determine whether she sat behind the dark screen or just walked away after first joining.

“If the Governor felt so strongly about the pardons, the right was for him or his representative to sit through the meeting and assert views. This did not do. A press release after the meeting is bolekaja politics.”